Trauma Study Released For Riverside County

African-Americans make up about 6 percent of the population in Riverside County but account for 15 percent of the region’s assault and homicide victims over the past decade, according to the first-of-its kind study of trauma by the Riverside County Department of Public Health.

The figure, along with other information, is included in the 2011 Trauma Report released today.

“The data gathered in this report will help all those involved in providing emergency medical services to improve care to trauma patients in the future,” said Dr. Eric Frykman, health officer for the county. “It will also help us determine areas where we may need to re-focus our efforts when it comes to trauma care.”

The report provides details of trauma care for about 40,000 patients who were treated at the county’s four trauma centers from 2000 and 2009. The study looks at a wide range of patient information, from mortality rates of those injured on the job to how trauma patients arrive at their respective hospitals. You can even find out what time most car accidents happened (between 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.) or the average time trauma patients stayed in the hospital.

Among the findings in the 47-page report:

-- Almost 35 percent of trauma patients had measurable amounts of alcohol in their blood.
-- Vehicle accidents accounted for 70 percent of all trauma cases and more women (59.4 percent) are involved in traffic accidents than men.
-- More than half of those who committed suicide were between the ages of 65 and 74.
-- Firearms account for 14.8 percent of work-related fatalities.
-- Nearly 30 percent of child trauma patients were taken to the hospital in private vehicles.

The report took more than six months to compile from various sources, including Riverside County trauma centers, the National Trauma Data Bank and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To see a copy of the report, go to http://www.rivcohealthdata.org/home/index.htm --Riverside County Department of Public Health